“This is the first time we’ve seen a massive galaxy typical of the distant universe dying due to a massive loss of cold gas,” said Durham University researcher Annagrazia Puglisi.
The aforementioned galaxy ID2299 is so far away that its light traveled to our planet for nine billion years. Astronomers have been observing a state where the universe, which is estimated to be 13.5 billion years old, was about 4.5 billion years old.
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ESO scientists have captured a state in which the galaxy “excreted over half of its gas, which is the fuel for star formation,” said one observer, Emanuele Daddi. The galaxy is estimated to lose ten thousand Suns a year. At the same time, however, new stars formed in the galaxy very quickly, at a hundred times faster than in the Milky Way. Due to this state, the galaxy should stop forming new stars within a few tens of millions of years, which is a very short time on a cosmic scale.
According to ESO, research can contribute to the development of knowledge about how galaxies lose the ability to form new stars. According to researchers observing the galaxy ID2299, the rapid escape of cold gases caused the collision and fusion of the two galaxies. Until now, scientists believed that the gas leak was due to the effects of star formation and the presence of black holes in the galaxy.
ALMA on the trail
Traces of the galaxy ID2299 were detected by the ALMA station (Atakama Large Millimeter / Submillimeter Antenna System). In 2013, when it started operating, it was the most expensive and largest astronomical observatory in the world. The observatory has an antenna network, which consists of 66 telescopes with a diameter of twelve and seven meters. Czech scientists also take part in its activities.
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The observatory is located at an altitude of 5050 meters on the plateau Chajnantor in Chile. For its construction, experts looked for a place on a plateau with as little water in the earth’s atmosphere as possible, because the measurements must not affect the humidity. ALMA was established in partnership with Europe, North America and East Asia and in cooperation with Chile. The cost of building the complex exceeded one billion euros (approximately 27 billion crowns).
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